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New Year compositions in Amsterdam: fir to give from pakjesavond on
In the Netherlands, presents are given on pakjesavond, Sinterklaas evening on 5 December, ahead of Christmas on 25–26 December and Oud en Nieuw, the night of 31 December. New Year compositions in Amsterdam suit any of those three evenings, and the more useful question is not which evening but whether the fir will travel to someone's house or stay on your own table.
Fir that travels in the arm: bouquets and baskets for a host
A fir bouquet with red berries is easy to carry in the crook of your arm, like any bouquet. Fir bouquets work well as a straightforward host gift for pakjesavond or an Oud en Nieuw gathering.
A basket asks even less of the host: it stands without a vase, so nobody has to go looking for a container while guests are still arriving. A New Year basket can simply be set down on a sideboard or a hallway table.
Rain and wind along the canal bridges in December are worth a thought before you head out, and the climate of Amsterdam is covered on the flowers in Amsterdam page. The florist photographs the finished piece before the courier sets off. Most orders are handed over the day they are placed; the timing is shown on each product card, and the terms of New Year compositions delivery in Amsterdam are on the delivery terms page.
A tabletop arrangement is meant to stay in one spot: its fir sits in wet foam, and the foam needs watering every day, a thin stream over the whole exposed surface, without ever tipping the piece to check it.
The New Year Tree from Danish Nobilis Branches is a small branch tree built for a table or a sideboard, not a full-grown fir. Denmark became Europe's largest nobilis grower after 1945. Keep either piece away from radiators.
Tabletop arrangements cover both the low table pieces and the branch tree, for anyone who wants the fir to stay rather than go visiting.
Fir with a palm-sized cake: one parcel, two presents
A bento cake is a cake the size of a palm in a small cardboard box, with a short greeting piped in cream across the top. Paired with fir, it turns one parcel into two separate presents: the cake is eaten that same evening, while the fir stays in the house for the rest of the holidays.
A card with your own message goes in at no extra cost, so the greeting on the cake and the one on the card can say different things to the same person. New Year gifts is where fir and cake are paired this way.
New Year corporate gifts: a branch tree for the office
A nobilis branch tree looks as at home on a reception desk as it does on a windowsill, and a low fir arrangement fits neatly along a row of desks without crowding anyone's screen. Several orders placed under one business account go out as separate deliveries, billed to the company with documents issued on request.
Zuidas, Amsterdam's business district, holds around 2,000 companies and more than 50,000 people who work there — New Year corporate gifts covers how offices there order fir for the season.
Heading out to someone's pakjesavond or Oud en Nieuw evening, fir bouquets or a basket are easy to carry in the crook of your arm. For your own table, tabletop arrangements hold their place through the holidays, and where something sweet should go alongside the fir, New Year gifts pairs it with a bento cake.